A short time ago a filmmaker friend of mine came to me with a vision – to share with movie lovers everywhere the exceptional life of legendary actress Geraldine Page. Now, for the first time the extraordinary story of the actress, role model and daring trailblazer of theater and film is coming to life in Geraldine Page – Stages of a Dream.

It was a privilege to partner one-on-one with filmmakers not only to create the film’s one sheet and online presence but to also strategize the marketing strategy and overall voice of the film. Collaborating directly with agencies – in lieu of the big studio model – is a sign of the times. Often times the studios may not even know how to market your film. Even George Lucas was turned down by every studio in Hollywood with his epic true hero story of Red Tails so he took the bull by the horns and funded most of the marketing himself. By teaming with the creative and marketing minds, filmmakers can save thousands if not millions of dollars. Even more importantly, a creative team with a track record in marketing savvy never loses sight of the emotion and visual voice filmmakers strive so hard to capture on film.

“In most cases, creative boutiques serve to reflect the style of the film they are marketing in the artwork and materials,” comments filmmaker Jeremy Weiss. “In and of itself, this is generally a good thing; but in the case of Stages of a Dream, the process was far more organic than that. Because we had asked Cheryl to become involved with the film at such an early stage, her bold ideas and dynamic visual style in fact helped inform the actual visual aesthetic of the film itself. Cheryl’s inexhaustible drive and creativity encouraged us to work hand in hand between the production and marketing, so that as the style of the film evolved from conception to realization, the website and key art were likewise refined and developed, and vise versa.”

When YouTube can bring a talented young singer from Canada into the homes of millions of fans seemingly overnight and Twitter feeds scroll across CNN breaking news, film marketing moves more swiftly than ever. Voice and vision must be crafted concurrently with film development. This means exploring the visual brand as early as the script treatment phase, writing online content strategy during pre-production and hiring a still photographer and videographer to capture Facebook content on-set. It’s time to re-examine the old slow-to-take “studio” marketing model. It’s time for the artistry of your film to beat within the hearts of your audience!